Milestones

I've been meaning to write about milestones for a couple days now.  Milestones, as in "rites of passage" or "life events" and the like.  Big or small, we all have these things in our lives that we measure our time by.  Even if its just Monday again (comin' around every week), or a birthday/anniversary - the good things that recurring milestones can be.  Other times, they mark things we would prefer to "disremember". The death of a loved one. The loss of a friend. A bad choice that can haunt us in our later days.  All milestones.

Here; in our smallish, conservative, midwestern spot on the earth, we are reminded of another milestone that comes around almost every year.  The deaths of 2 teenagers over the weekend in an alcohol related accident hits pretty close to home:
1. I have an almost-driver.
2. I have an alcoholic husband, who THANK GOD, has never killed anyone.
3. My co-workers grew up with the parents of one of the teens.

This kind of tragic event inevitably seems to happen in one or more of the school districts in our (EVERY) area this time of the year.  No, alcohol is not always involved.  Yes, teens who believe they are invincible are.  Whether its prom, graduation, or just first-long-weekend-of-the-summer, this season seems to bring accidents like this.  We have all "been-there, done-that". We have all thought it would never happen to us.  If I had to guess (no hard stats here) 90% of us have made the same bad choices as the kids involved in this accident. But, BY GOD'S GRACE, we are still here to look back at those choices - those milestones in our lives if you will - and hope that we can pass along the knowledge we LEARNED from those lapses in judgement to our own kids before its too late!  The things we did... <shudder> ... unfortunately, kids will be kids - and they ALL go through the "invincible" stage. No parent should have to loose a child this way. My heart aches for everyone involved in this accident, and for all those who mourn the loss of these 2 kids.  My hope is that they knew the Lord.  I didn't know them. But God did. And he was with them every minute of their lives.  I hope they knew that.  I know my kids know. My prayers are with the driver of the car. No matter the legal ramifications of his actions - his life is forever changed. This milestone in his life is one he will never escape.  And, this anniversary, is one the families of these kids will struggle with forever. They have my prayers too.

The one-time milestones: graduation, first day of school, first tooth lost, first love/broken heart, wedding, first child... I could go on and on, and I'm sure you all have things you can add to this list.  These are the things we measure our days with.  I hope that your milestones are good ones.  That these good milestones outweigh the tragic results of bad decisions. 

Tired &/or Lazy? Depends on your perspective I guess

I am going to share my blog from team beachbody, just because its late and I'm tired.  I have had a lot floating around in my head waiting to write, but don't have the ambition to define it right now.  I'm hoping that given a little more time, some incomplete thought processes will progress to the point of writing them out. 

Copied from my beachbody blog:

Today was a scheduled rest day, and I am so very glad! The last few days, I've been really working it, and I can feel it.  I'm sore, but in a good way, not an injured way:) Anywhoo, I'm looking forward to BumBum and High and Tight tomorrow.
What I'm not looking forward to is "weighing in" on Tuesday. (I know thats a week away...) My scale has issues.  I've had the same one for several years, and until I began this adventure in fitness, had been avoiding it for about the same length of time! I've always told myself numbers don't matter.  Not in weight, or clothing sizes - as long as I felt good about myself and how I looked.  Reality check. The numbers have ALWAYS mattered to me.  I hate that I am now the "fat sister". I hate that I am heavier than I was when I GAVE BIRTH to my youngest daughter.  So, the numbers matter.  And my scale. Has. Issues.  Over the years, it has become a toy to the kids. It is cracked, and the screen is scratched so bad that if I don't have my glasses and the light on, I can't even read it.  And, it gives me random, different weights from one moment to the next.  I KNOW where and how to stand on it to get a "good" reading. 
When I started all this, I got my starting weight, and diligently weighed myself once a week, the same way so that my readings were at least accurately measuring loss/gain. But, now that I have become friends with my scale again, the inconsistencies bug me.  I don't like to reposition myself 3 times, and take my weight that many times in 5 minutes to get an average.  So, I went and bought a nice, new scale yesterday.  Its got bells and whistles (bone mass %, BMI, etc) along with the weighing part of it.  Here's the thing though - I weigh about what I did when I STARTED OUT on my old scale.  I feel like I am starting over.  I KNOW I've lost weight - my clothes fit differently. I KNOW I am more fit than I have been in at least 10 years - I have more energy, and can see the start of muscle definition.  BUT, I'm hung up on those numbers.  I want to get down to my goal weight of 135 lbs.  So, do I start it over again, with the numbers from the new scale?? I'm kinda bummed.
I guess it really means, I weighed more than I thought I did when I began this journey.  And, it means I still have a long way to go.

Celebrations

Its been a week of celebrations here.  My second son turned 14 on the 3rd.  Zak's choir went to the state festival and got top ratings, I went to the elementary school on Friday to have "Muffins with Mom" with my girlies.  We also celebrated another cousin getting married with a wedding shower for Joe Smit's fiance' last night.  I have also tried very hard to celebrate the little things in life.  The sun rising every day, the rain coming to help things grow. Things we take for granted. 

The last several months, I've taken more notice of the things we take for granted. The things that go unnoticed, or maybe even avoided. Things we aren't always thankful for. Things we don't always celebrate.  Even car troubles - its amazing to me the people who offered to help when the transmission went out on my truck - during one of the busiest weeks I've had!  Makes you appreciate your friends and family even more!  I guess I've celebrated transportation this week, as I've been able to get kids to school, and go to work without incident:)  My boys moved the furniture around for me this week.  Not such a big thing, but we now have "new" couches (thanks Lisa!) in the living room instead of in the basement. I'm celebrating boys growing into men who are helpful, and kind - especially when dad isn't here to help with these things.  I'm celebrating the encouragement I've received from unexpected sources - for different things I've got goin' on: this blog, eating healthy, exercising, staying positive... the list goes on.  I thank God every day for all of you!

We've been having a "birthday week" here for Devin - special supper and dessert on his birthday, went to pick up his phone (present) today, and tomorrow our traditional lunch-at-your-restaurant-of-choice dinner out along with a movie. We are lucky to be able to pick up Paul after church so that he can join us tomorrow - so we will be celebrating even more than the birthday! We need to celebrate every moment, every day we have with our loved ones. They are important, they are special. They can be gone in a blink and we can never get them back. Remember how blessed YOU are. Thank God for the special people in your lives. Celebrate what you have, WHO you have, all the time. Not just the 'special' occasions.